By Mark Curnutte
Cincinnati Enquirer

Quarterbacks: Jeff Blake is 2-3 in his five starts filling in for Chris Redman, but he's thrown six interceptions and four touchdowns. He could put too much pressure on himself coming back to Cincinnati. Jon Kitna is playing as well as any quarterback in the league. He's thrown for 1,284 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in the past five games, all three picks coming at Baltimore.
Edge: Bengals

Running Backs: As goes Jamal Lewis, so go the Ravens. The Ravens are 5-0 when he runs for 78 or more yards. Lewis has 360 rushing yards in three career games against the Bengals. Corey Dillon needs just 52 yards today to reach 1,000 for the sixth consecutive season. Credit the pass offense for spreading out defenses and giving Dillon more room to run.
Edge: Bengals

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Taking over for Shannon Sharpe, Todd Heap leads all NFL tight ends with 43 receptions. He has an 11.1-yard average and four touchdowns. He is hard to cover in the flat. Bengals wide receivers are coming of age. Danny Farmer will get more time with veteran Michael Westbrook waived. Special teams star Ron Dugans is underrated as a receiver.
Edge: Ravens

Offensive Line: There are problems on the line when an offense is ranked 31 of 32 teams in total yards. Blake has been sacked 20 times, but this group shoved the Bengals around in the run game. Credit the Bengals line for leading the way to five consecutive games of 350-plus net yards of offense, a Bengals first since 1988. Last season, the defense carried the team. Not this year.
Edge: Bengals

Defensive Line: Baltimore has managed to get 22 sacks with its retooled defense, and the front three does a good job of holding its ground against the run. Watch nose tackle Kelly Gregg. The Bengals front four has to stop the run today. Simple as that. They need to slow down Jamal Lewis and make Jeff Blake beat them with the pass. That's much easier said than done, though.
Edge: Ravens

Linebackers: Ray Lewis, the soul of the team, is out for the season. But the Ravens have found another star in Ed Hartwell, the left inside linebacker who leads the team with 108 tackles, including two sacks. Takeo Spikes flashed some emotion last week at Pittsburgh, as well as his signature martial arts-inspired dance. Canute Curtis is playing well on the outside since returning to the starting lineup.
Edge: Bengals

Defensive Backs: The return of cornerback Chris McAlister could go a long way to slowing down red-hot wide receiver Chad Johnson. The Ravens have 19 interceptions, four by rookie safety Ed Reed. They're not getting the help they did last season, when the pass rush drove quarterbacks to desperate throws. Beware of Jeff Blake throwing bombs to Travis Taylor.
Edge: Ravens

Coaching: Brian Billick is willing his young team to stay in contention at 5-6. The Ravens have no business being four games ahead of the Bengals in the standings. It's coaching and organizational focus. What a difference a year makes... In 2001, defensive coordinator Mark Duffner was a genius. Now the defense can't stop the run. In the last five games, Bob Bratkowski's offense is unstoppable.
Edge: Ravens

Overall: The Ravens get the most out of their drives, with kicker Matt Stover making 14 of 16 field goal attempts. He has 63 points. Even in massive rebuilding, the Ravens' goal is to win - not simply to compete. We're no longer in November, Toto. The Bengals actually win in December, a 21-25 record since the start of the playoff drought in 1991. The pressure is off. The Bengals will play better.
Edge: Ravens

Curnutte's prediction: Ravens 26, Bengals 24

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